Bottles & Dolphins

I shocked myself. The words jolted out in fragments. A righteous passion pushed the words out, but astonishment interrupted them from forming a complete sentence. 

There I was lounging in my beach chair on vacation. Like an over-zealous relative ready to shower me with affection after months of separation, the sun was equally eager to embrace and colour me lobster red. I was nestled under my umbrella, trying not to scorch my winter-white complexion, which was not easy. I had entered vacation mode and was fully immersed in the Caribbean rhythm. 

We lounged in the same spot everyday, as did our elderly neighbours. They were super chill and predictable, making it easier for us to relax. We were accustomed to the local vendors approaching us and were not bothered by their persistence. Each day at the beach, one of the jet-ski rental guys would ask if we were interested. This day was no different from the others, except for my startling response to something that caught my attention…

“You dropped your bottle! Someone is (shock took over) step on it!” 

I was shocked that I had just reprimanded a local jet-ski renter for tossing a glass bottle in a high traffic beach area. In an instant, I switched from ‘holiday mode’ to my 9 to 5, where I am responsible for keeping people safe. It was a natural impulse, but one I would typically avoid in non-work situations, such as vacation. 

My bold remark spiralled into ruminating for the remainder of the day: “What came over me? I’m shy and quiet. I avoid confrontation. When I asked him to pick up his glass bottle, was he embarrassed? Was he going to take revenge on me? Did he even care?”

As the golden hour approached, I overheard the jet-ski renter call out, “Dolphin!” Vacationers and local vendors gathered to witness such a rare occurrence. When I looked over to this so-called ‘tough salesman,’ I saw him kneeling beside a child and pointing to the dolphin. We all were watching the dolphin breaching in the distance, while the beer bottle breached the sand, just a few feet from its original spot (still a beach hazard) but in this moment he was just as mesmerized and overjoyed at this sighting as I was. 

My vacation ended a few months ago, and I’ve had some time to think. I believe I wanted to write about this because I knew I didn’t have to spend the rest of that beach day ruminating. As someone who cringes at conflict, I am learning that when I sense something unsettling I don’t have to become small. My unsettledness can be explored and communicated without trepidation. It might even culminate with a shared experience like spotting a dolphin.